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Sunday, February 12, 2012

We're Smitten with Em Petrova and a giveaway

Crash
into Me

By
Em Petrova

Stimulating moments and music seem to go
hand-in-hand. I think we’ve all heard that one song on the radio that sends us
back in time to a school dance, when we swayed in the arms of a boy we crushed
on. ( If I tell you mine, it will give away my age.) Or we hear a song we
danced to at our weddings and the warmth of the day spreads through us.

For me, as an erotic romance writer, I also use
songs as my muse. One of my FAVORITE songs to write sex scenes to is Crash into Me by Dave Matthews Band.

Okay, so disregard the video elements because no one
really understands videos anyway, right? But listen to those lyrics—it just
screams tortured hero, doesn’t it? A man who longs for a woman so much he can
think of little else. He sleeps, eats, dreams, and breathes her.

Also, the song has the perfect rhythm to make love
to—hips bumping, lips meeting, clothes peeling off, skin caressed… You can see
how this song inspires a love scene every time!

What are your favorite love songs? I’d love to hear your choices! And please read on for a special excerpt from my latest release Outlaws of Love.

Blurb:

Upon traveling west to marry, Annabelle Stephens
longed to leave her nickname of Sweetheart Annie and the strict rules of Boston
society behind, but the taboo freedom she faces wasn’t exactly what she had in
mind. When a sexy outlaw storms into her rented room and kidnaps her, she’s
embroiled in a dangerous game with not one man, but two.

Until now Xander Hollis wanted one thing—or maybe
two—to stop the Southern Gorge Railroad from stealing the homesteaders’ land,
and to act on his desires with his partner in crime James. Like Robin Hoods of
the old west, he and James embark on a mission to rob from the rich and give to
the poor. When he refuses to let go of the woman who could identify him, he
finds he’s in true danger. Danger of losing his heart to the heiress of the
very railroad corporation he struggles to bring down.

EXCERPT
RATED PG-

With
a shiver of apprehension, Annabelle sank into the hip bath that was filled with
tepid water. She glared at the wooden plank door of her rented room, daring
anyone to come through it uninvited. What kind of place was this? She’d heard
the West was uncivilized, but had never dreamed that there wouldn’t be locks on
the doors. What was she going to do tonight?

She
cast a glance around the small, dingy space, hoping to see a piece of furniture
substantial enough to stop an intruder but light enough she could shift on her
own. Her gaze lighted on the single set of drawers -- tall and as broad as a
man. Well, she mused. Not any man. She’d seen her fair share of stout,
pasty men on her travels across the country by stagecoach. Knowing she now had
the freedom to look at whomever she chose without the intrusive gazes of
society on her sent a thrill through her.

Of
course, there was the small matter of her escort, a newly married couple who
were friends of her father. But they were often too caught up in each other to
notice where her gaze landed. Now the Clarks were on the other side of the
hotel, and she couldn’t help but wonder if they’d gotten a room with a lock.

She
wished she had thought of the unlocked door before slipping into the bath. She
should have moved that chest of drawers first. But the heated depths had called
to her. After her dusty travels, she wanted nothing more than to peel off her
grungy clothes and enjoy a soak. It wasn’t until she had gotten into the water
that the problem occurred to her. After all, she didn’t need a lock to bathe
back in Boston.

I’ll
hurry.

Quickly,
she lifted the linen cloth she’d brought all the way from home and began washing.
At one time the cloth had been white as a dove and scented with lavender. Now
it was stained from the road dust that had caked her skin daily for the past
month. But it was the cleanest she had.

She
hastily swirled the cloth in the water and ran it over her sticky throat and
down her shoulders. Just as she reached the crest of her breasts, the door
burst inward.

A
shrill scream bubbled up her throat. Before she could let it out, a huge brute
of a man stomped across the room and clamped a hand over her mouth. She
struggled beneath his steely grip, tasting the salt of his flesh and drowning
in the musky scent of male mingled with leather and horses.

She
jackknifed into a ball instinctively, curling up like a possum as she tried to
hide her soft, womanly parts from this monster’s gaze -- and worse -- his
touch.

Again,
she opened her mouth to scream.

He
leveled his gaze on her, the depths of his eyes speaking to her loud and clear.

If
she wasn’t quiet, he’d kill her.

She
swallowed the cry, staring over his fingers with horror as he one-handedly
unbuttoned his shirt and tore it off. The thick cloth hit the floor in a cloud
of dust. And then he was stepping into the tub with her, lifting her and
plopping her smack dab across his hard thighs to claim her mouth.

Her
heart drummed nearly out of her chest. What was he going to do to her? At this
point, death seemed a better alternative to being violated by this man. She’d
be soiled forever -- and her fiancé wouldn’t accept her.

A
squawk escaped her, and her attacker sealed his mouth more securely over hers,
cutting off all noise and air.

At
that moment, the door burst open again. A whoosh of cool breeze washed over her
bare shoulders and back. Help me! Before she could utter a sound, the
man restrained her further by slipping his fingers around her throat.

To
an outsider, it might have seemed a loving gesture, but any thought of escape
fled as his rough fingertip settled over her pulse. His thumb pressed the
hollow of her throat. If she dared to move, he could choke the breath from her.
Or snap her neck. Judging from the hard muscles beneath her, she knew a flick
of his wrist would break her neck.

“Oh!
Sorry, madam.” A man gulped a breath of air from the doorway. “I mean no
disrespect. I was looking for a criminal.”

The
man in the tub with her kept on kissing her like they were alone, angling his
head and plunging his tongue deep into her mouth until she was dizzy for air.

Ms. Petrova is graciously offering one digital title from her BACKLIST to one of today's commenters. Please answer her question and be sure to leave your email address in the comments. (WOW!!! Did you take a look at that backlist - smokin'!!!) The giveaway runs through February 17, 2012 and is open to residents of the US only.

I was a teenager in the late 80's/early to mid 90's so I listened to a lot of hair band music. I still love those songs, especially the ballads. Bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Warrent, etc wrote some really good love songs.More recent music that I love would include Evenescence, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down. They all have some great love songs too. Even though some people would question my sanity, I think Metallica writes beautiful music, with a sexy beat, and a great singer.Junemanning_J2004 at yahoo dot com

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